Doue delighted after opening France goal account

Desire Doue says there is “a lot of pride” after scoring his first two goals for France in their 3-1 friendly win over Colombia.

Doue struck in either half, with Marcus Thuram also hitting the back of the net as France made it two wins from two in the March international break, having also beaten Brazil.

Jaminton Campaz pulled one back for Colombia late on, while Kylian Mbappe almost snatched the headlines in stoppage time.

After coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, Mbappe slotted into an empty net, only for the offside flag to deny him a 57th goal for the national team that would have taken him level with Olivier Giroud at the top of the scoring charts.

But Doue led the line in his absence, having a game-high three shots – all of which were on target – while only Thuram (six) had more touches in the opposition box.

He also became the first player to open his goal tally for France with a brace since Thomas Lemar in August 2017 (two goals versus Netherlands).

“There is a lot of pride. I am very happy,” Doue told TF1. “It’s a great victory.

“It wasn’t easy; there was a lot of intensity. We played two very good preparation matches. We are very happy.

“The coach told us it was important to win, too. We did some good things. We need to continue like this. Do I feel like I’ve scored points? Yes, I try to help the team in every match.”

France are among the favourites to win the World Cup this summer, and the players are attempting to stake their claim for a spot in the squad.

Rayan Cherki created a game-high three chances and made 21 passes in the final third, more than any other player, while only N’Golo Kante (six) bettered his five final-third entries.

“I’m a team player. I know that opposing teams often expect me to slip up,” he told TF1.

“The only thing I’m looking for is for my team to leave the match with a smile.

“I’m satisfied, but I can always do better. I think I’ve shown the coach that I’m capable of contributing to the team, both on and off the field. That’s the most important thing for me.”

France are now unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions, only failing to win one of those – a 2-2 draw with Iceland in World Cup qualifying.

They had to dig deep at times against a spirited Colombia side, who managed 13 shots (one fewer than France), while matching Les Bleus’ five attempts on target.

Didier Deschamps opted for a heavily rotated line-up from their win over Brazil on Thursday, and he was thrilled to be able to get the opportunity to see so much of his squad before having to make his final decision.

“The sporting results are very positive,” he told TF1. “We faced two good teams [Brazil and Colombia].

“The quality is there, and all the players who played are eager to return in June. They don’t always get playing time. [Against Colombia], everyone played, except for [Lucas] Chevalier. That’s good, we faced some adversity.”